5 “Re-” Words That Aren’t Repeats The prefix for denoting repetition is re- , but its presence in a word doesn’t necessarily indicate a repeat of an action. Here, as examples, are five words starting with re- that differ in sense from their root words. 1. Rebate : To bate is to deduct or restrain, but the word, used rarely, usually is employed for the latter meaning, often in the jocular phrase “await with bated breath,” to indicate feigned excitement. Bate is a truncation of abate , which refers to deducting, depriving, moderating, or putting an end to something. To rebate, however, is to return part of a payment as an incentive. Bate is from the Anglo-French word abatre , meaning “to strike down”; rebate is from rebatre , which derives from abatre but means “to deduct.” 2. Recapitulate : To capitulate is to acquiesce or surrender, but to recapitulate is to summarize. Capitulate is from the Latin word capitulum , which originally meant “to distinguish by hea
